Stretching from Southern California's Pacific Coast to Texas' Gulf Coast, completely engulfing the state of Arizona, the Southwest Border Area is a diverse culture region of coexisting Spanish American, American Indian, and Anglo cultures. Both Native American and Spanish cultures have coexisted in much of the area since the arrival of the Spanish at the end of the 16th century before the immigration of Anglo cultures in the 19th century. (http://www.america.gov/st/peopleplace-english/2008/May/20080618211737eaifas0.8352472.html)
Large-scale Anglo settlement was most likely discouraged well into the 19th century because of Arizona and it's surrounding regions' dry, arid climate. This ensured that a large number of Native Americans remained in the area. The largest tribes of the region are found in Arizona: the Navajo in the Four Corners Region, where the states of Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico meet, the Apache, the Papago in southern Arizona, and the Hopi in northwestern Arizona. (http://www.america.gov/st/peopleplace-english/2008/May/20080618211737eaifas0.8352472.html)
Despite it's climate, the region continues to boom in population. Arizona was the third most rapidly growing U.S. state on a percentage basis in the 1980s, following only Nevada and Alaska. All of the region's states during this period grew at a rate well above the national average. The city of Phoenix has doubled in size several times since 1950. Since 2000, Arizona's population has increased by almost 27%. Phoenix, the largest populated capital in the United States, grew 31% in population from 2000 to 2008. It is now the 6th largest city in the United States. (http://phoenix.about.com/cs/living/a/census01_2.htm)
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